“Oh Mommy, look at the dandelions!” exclaim my expressively theatrical daughters.
“Aren’t they beautiful?” The sight of the two most precious little girls racing towards a mess of dandelions with such joy almost brought tears to my eyes.
What most people see as an ugly weed, my girls see as an extraordinary treasure.. So much so that we must stop frequently on walks to stop and admire them. “STOP!” screams Olivia with such urgency as she stoops down to pick one. Then she runs towards me, “I picked you a flower Mommy. Do you love it? Isn’t it wonderful?”
I’m not fabricating this for the sake a blog post. Here are some of Larissa’s first pictures:
Once again, as I gaze at the world through the eyes of a child I see such intense beauty.
The irony is the measures that people actually go through to rid their grass of Dandelions.
Hash, harmful, toxic chemicals and pesticides are used causing all kinds of hazardous effects on the planet and the life that resides in it. And for what? The illusion of “the perfect lawn?” “Great grass”?
Did you know that Dandelions can be beneficial to a garden ecosystem as well as to human health. Dandelions attract beneficial ladybugs and provide early spring pollen for their food. They are rich in vitamin A and C. The roots and stems of Dandelions contain a white sap that can be used as a topical remedy for warts. They act as a gentle diuretic and help with insulin. And the list goes on…google it. I dare you.
So maybe our kids are on to something. Maybe the pesky little weed that we all love to hate has a purpose. Perhaps all we need is a change in ourperspective . Sometimes the things that we view as ugly and annoying are really purposeful and beautiful.
So if one of my girls gives you a dandelion, I hope you feel special, because it's truley a treasured gift!
*(If anyone knows how to get the strikethrough to work on the title, please let me know!)
“Aren’t they beautiful?” The sight of the two most precious little girls racing towards a mess of dandelions with such joy almost brought tears to my eyes.
What most people see as an ugly weed, my girls see as an extraordinary treasure.. So much so that we must stop frequently on walks to stop and admire them. “STOP!” screams Olivia with such urgency as she stoops down to pick one. Then she runs towards me, “I picked you a flower Mommy. Do you love it? Isn’t it wonderful?”
I’m not fabricating this for the sake a blog post. Here are some of Larissa’s first pictures:
Once again, as I gaze at the world through the eyes of a child I see such intense beauty.The irony is the measures that people actually go through to rid their grass of Dandelions.
Hash, harmful, toxic chemicals and pesticides are used causing all kinds of hazardous effects on the planet and the life that resides in it. And for what? The illusion of “the perfect lawn?” “Great grass”?
Did you know that Dandelions can be beneficial to a garden ecosystem as well as to human health. Dandelions attract beneficial ladybugs and provide early spring pollen for their food. They are rich in vitamin A and C. The roots and stems of Dandelions contain a white sap that can be used as a topical remedy for warts. They act as a gentle diuretic and help with insulin. And the list goes on…
So maybe our kids are on to something. Maybe the pesky little weed that we all love to hate has a purpose. Perhaps all we need is a change in our
So if one of my girls gives you a dandelion, I hope you feel special, because it's truley a treasured gift!
*(If anyone knows how to get the strikethrough to work on the title, please let me know!)
1 comment:
Yeah, the strike-through is a mystery to me, too. It's like people have some kind of magical power or something. Hey - and dandelions...are generally my friend...the yellow dots when looking at a lawn or field from an appropriate distance are so pretty (just not so much after the grass has been cut & the stems start popping back up, or when they decide to create a random border along the edge of my gardens - my gardens look random enough, thank you). I have thought I need to start harvesting the leaves for salads...
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